The itinerary is what bumped my rating to 4 - the rest of the trip is what kept it from being 5.

I'll just lead with this: I am a Disney girl through and through. I have cruised other lines and of those have been most happy with Royal Caribbean if not doing Disney. I am generally a fan of Royal Caribbean's Radiance Class ships (nothing bigger...definitely no Behemoths of the Seas sized girls) - I like the size and all the glass AND that I'm not paying for a ton of bells and whistles for things I have no desire to use on a ship (ice rinks, water slides, fake surfing, fake sky diving, etc.) - and I've always wanted to go to Greece, so when I saw this combination of a Greek Isles itinerary with the Jewel of the Seas, I jumped at it.

Embarkation was pretty smooth - I was cruising with a friend (a first for me as I usually cruise solo) and we took a shared shuttle from Rome to Civitavecchia and were able to go straight to check-in and directly onboard. We went to the Windjammer which was pretty busy, but we grabbed a table and took turns getting food. A quick trip to the spa for a tour and raffle entry and for her to book a manicure and we were able to go to our cabin. Read more